HonestReporting Hits Weekend with Three Media Appearances

It was a banner week for HonestReporting in the media, with HR Managing Editor Simon Plosker publishing no less than two op-eds on Thursday alone. The following day, the Jerusalem Post singled out HonestReporting for praise for its work on behalf of HR’s image abroad.

Plosker’s op-ed in the Times of Israel examined the media’s initial silence over anti-Semitic comments from Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi before he was elected to office:

How can the media and ultimately the public, possibly begin to understand the currents within the Arab world when only statements from Arab politicians made in English to an international audience are reported? All too often, what is said, broadcast or written in Arabic bears no relation to the statements specifically aimed for western consumption.

Plosker’s other op-ed in The Commentator revealed trends in media coverage of Israel as the Palestinians impose a strategy of low-level violence against Israeli soldiers and West Bank residents.

Finally, Jerusalem Post columnist Barry Shaw looked at Israel’s government failures in the area of public diplomacy, concluding that the best effort is being carried out by independent organizations like HonestReporting.

Look instead at the private NGOs that are battling the anti-Israel delegitimization and demonization campaigns.

All of the prominent action groups, in their respective fields, were created, developed and achieved external funding by Israelis emanating from English-speaking backgrounds.

A few of the most outstanding examples include NGO Monitor’s Gerald Steinberg, Palestinian Media Watch’s Itamar Marcus, Joe Hyam’s HonestReporting.

“Palestinians impose a strategy of low-level violence against Israeli soldiers and West Bank residents.”

Any mention of the latter two groups being illegal occupiers? The use of the neutral term “residents” is a highly subjective choice; international law would probably conclude that “occupiers” or “illegal settlers” were more appropriate terms. Just, you know, wanted to point it out in the interests of fair and objective reporting for which HR stands…

@Brian, actually it doesn’t seem you know much about international law. Israelis are not there illegally. At best it can be called “disputed territories,” which means its subject to final status negotiations, at whatever point in the future that becomes relevant.